Kirby must have heard the hurt in his voice, because he said, “I have slept in worse places and amongst worse company.”
That hardly made Darcy feel better. He wondered if Markle would suspect that his nephew had come to him. “You shall have a better bed tonight. I think it best you stay in the house until we know for certain your uncle is not in town looking for you.”
“That is why I did not hire a horse! I did not want him to trace me.”
“You were clever. Let us hope he does not find the man with the cart, or even suspect you came to town at all. You may stay here and let Mrs Watson spoil you with cake, and read in the library for a few days until I can enrol you in a school.”
“Will you send me to Westminster or Eton?”
This was said so earnestly that Darcy absolutely refused to laugh. “I think you might be out of place amongst the boys there, and bullied terribly. Besides, if your education until now has only been reading stolen books?—”
“I went to the charity Sunday school.”
“And I am certain that you excelled. However, your Latin and French are probably lacking.” Kirby would be incredibly outranked and behind if he went to a public school. And the farther he was from his uncle’s business in Kent, the better. “What if I find a gentleman to tutor you privately and you can board with other boys? I will make certain you are ready for Cambridge when you are old enough.”
“You want me gone,” he said flatly. He sounded disappointed.
“Not at all. Have you ever been north? That is where my home is. I am certain a clergyman will tutor you, and you can come to Pemberley on school holidays unless one of your new friends invites you home.”
After everything the boy had endured, Darcy wanted very much to take care of him and secure his prospects. He wondered if Kirby could imagine a future with playmates and studying and with no one hitting him or forcing him to commit violence. He must have felt some hope, because his expression brightened. “Will it take long, do you think?”
Darcy smiled. “No. The Easter holidays are over, and all the boys will have returned to school. We cannot have you be behindhand, can we?”
Kirby gave him the first smile he had seen from him.
Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth was glad she had not gone downstairs yesterday when Bingley had first called on Jane. Given how he reacted when he saw Elizabeth today when he returned to Gracechurch Street with his sisters, she feared he would not spare a thought for Jane amidst the concern he showed Elizabeth.
He must have repeated, “And you are well? You must have been terrified,” at least three times.
Thankfully, Jane was not the sort to be jealous, and she smiled every time Bingley showed her more solicitude. Elizabeth kept her patience and said again and again that she was well until he finally moved to sit by Jane.
“Miss Bennet, you must have been so worried when you heard the news,” he said, taking Jane’s hand. When Mrs Gardiner raised an eyebrow, he dropped it and said, “And you as well, ma’am.”
Mrs Gardiner agreed and then caught Elizabeth’s eye. They shared an amused smile. A proposal seemed likely once Bingley could speak with Jane without his sisters nearby.
He turned back to Elizabeth. “Darcy said that you were both?—”
“We need not mention the sad affair again,” Miss Bingley said through a clenched jaw. “To mention their names together might imply to someone of an uncouth mind that something untoward happened. Besides, you are liable to distress Miss Eliza,” she added, forcing a smile in Elizabeth’s direction.
Bingley, pleasant and kindly as he was, instantly engaged Jane and her aunt on another topic. Elizabeth was required, therefore, to be polite to Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst. “Thank you for insisting on a change of subject.”
“Of course,” Miss Bingley said, mirroring the same empty smile Elizabeth had given her. “I would hate for you to suffer anyone insisting anything improper between you and Mr Darcy simply because you were unfortunate enough to be kidnapped at the same time. Such a harrowing episode. It is best not to discuss it.”
She knew what Miss Bingley was doing: she would stifle any mention of Darcy and Elizabeth having been alone together. Elizabeth did not even have to leave out how they had shared a bed because Miss Bingley would make certain no one gossiped about the abduction at all.
She nearly laughed to think that Miss Bingley would preserve Elizabeth’s good name because she needed Darcy’s reputation to remain intact for her own hopes. Thoughts of him made it hard to pay attention to Miss Bingley’s empty niceties and, claiming she was tired, Elizabeth left her aunt and sister to finish the visit.
Alone in her chamber, she idly turned Darcy’s ring over in her fingers. She did not care for the desperate, sinking feeling in her heart as another day passed without seeing him. It was even hard to fall asleep without him.
Jane found her soon after and entered her room without knocking. Elizabeth gave a little shriek, and her heart raced.
“Did I surprise you?” her sister asked, concerned. “I am sorry.”
She tried to smile, pressing a hand to her chest. Would sudden noises and unexpected visitors always startle her? Would she always feel a little unsafe, or would that improve with time? She quickly assured Jane that she was well.
“I came to tell you that my aunt has had a reply from Longbourn.”
